As a tool for conferencing with a counterpart at a remote location, a videoconference system is used. The videoconference system is configured to include multiple information processing apparatuses connected to a network, and a server for relaying and managing communications among the information processing apparatuses. The respective information processing apparatuses include a monitor as a display apparatus for displaying various information sets; a microphone for inputting voice; and a camera for imaging. The monitor is provided with a speaker for outputting the voice.
A participant of a conference transmits, to an information processing apparatus used by a counterpart as voice information and video information, voice input by the microphone of the information processing apparatus used by the participant and video imaged by the camera. Then, the voice information and the video information of the counterpart are received from the information processing apparatus used by the counterpart. Video information sets which are mutually received are displayed on the respective monitors, while voice information sets which are mutually received are output from a speaker provided by the respective monitors. This makes it possible to have communications with the counterpart.
The information processing apparatus may display conference material such as a drawing, a table, etc., that are prepared using an arbitrary application on a screen of a monitor. The displayed conference material may be transmitted as screen information to an information processing apparatus used by the counterpart and displayed on the monitor. When the monitor is provided with a touch panel, a stylus, etc., it may be used to draw a letter, a drawing, etc., on the conference material displayed, and the drawn information may also be included in the screen information to transmit and receive the screen information.
In this way, in the videoconference system, multiple information sets such as the voice information, the video information, and the screen information may be transmitted and received via a network. In recent years, with an increase in quality of these information sets, it is becoming easier to see an expression of the counterpart, the material, etc., and also to hear the voice. On the other hand, there are problems which cause a delay of a conference, such as an increase in an amount of information transmitted and received, a load on a network, an interruption in the middle of voice, video, etc. For content of the material or the video of the counterpart, even if there is an interruption in the middle of the material or the video, it does not become a major problem as long as it is for a short period of time. However, for voice, a problem arises since the content becomes unrecognizable even for a short time.
In light of the problems described above, a network conference system is proposed which makes it possible for voice information to be transmitted and received adequately and smoothly, and conducts a conference without voice of a user being interrupted even when display information with a large amount of information is transmitted and received in addition to the voice information and monitor video information. (See Patent Document 1, for example)
This network conference system includes a bandwidth control apparatus, which bandwidth control apparatus monitors a bandwidth used in transmission and reception of the respective information sets, and, when an amount of information has at least a certain value, a processing content code of a priority definition file is referred to, a proper bandwidth for each information set is set, and the bandwidths for the respective information sets are controlled based thereon. As the priority definition file is defined to decrease, during transmission and reception, a processing priority in the order of voice information, drawing information, and monitor video information, the voice information is given the highest priority, making it possible to prevent voice from being interrupted and to smoothly proceed with the conference.
However, it is not necessarily the case that all participants participating in the conference need all of the voice information, the video information, and the screen information. A participant uses a cell phone as an information processing apparatus by causing the cell phone to be in proximity to the ears without looking at a screen, so that it suffices to transmit and receive only the voice information. Moreover, when a microphone or camera function is turned OFF, the voice information or the video information is not obtained, so it is not possible to transmit such information. Allocating a bandwidth for transmitting and receiving such unneeded information causes bandwidth utilization efficiency to decrease, wastefully places a burden on a network, and interrupts voice, etc., possibly causing a delay of a conference.
Moreover, the priority definition file is defined to decrease the processing priority in the order of the voice information, the video information, and the screen information and the priority is fixed, so that it is not possible to change the definition so as to decrease the voice information to a lowest processing priority even when a speaker function is turned OFF and receiving of the voice information is unnecessary. Therefore, a bandwidth is allocated for receiving the voice information with a highest priority even when the speaker function is OFF. This also decreases bandwidth utilization efficiency.
The information processing apparatuses consume much power when transmitting and receiving information. Of these information processing apparatuses, for a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a smart phone, and a cell phone which use a battery, the battery energy decreases quickly due to transmitting and receiving of such unneeded information, possibly causing the battery energy to run out in the middle of the conference. This causes battery energy consumption efficiency to be low and the conference to not be conducted adequately.
Thus, provision of an apparatus which makes it possible to control transmitting and receiving of information and increase battery energy consumption efficiency or bandwidth utilization efficiency without transmitting and receiving unneeded information is called for.